Football League Trophy fixture
Bristol Rovers versus Colchester Town on Saturday 17 January 2026 at The Memorial Stadium. Kick off will be at 3pm.
Bristol Rovers and Colchester United have met each other multiple times across league and cup competitions, forming a fairly balanced rivalry. In their head to head history Bristol Rovers have won slightly more of the meetings, with about five wins compared to Colchester’s four, and three matches have ended in draws from around twelve encounters. Across these fixtures the goals scored have been close overall, reflecting how competitive the games tend to be. Recent results include a 1-1 draw between Colchester and Bristol Rovers in September 2025, where both sides found the net in a tightly fought League Two match, and earlier seasons saw Rovers secure narrow wins such as 2-1 in November 2022 and 1-0 in March 2022.
Other past head to head games have produced mixed results with close scorelines and occasional cup ties, indicating that neither side dominates this fixture consistently. Overall, while Bristol Rovers have a slight edge in wins, the rivalry with Colchester United has been closely contested with several draws and narrow margins deciding many games.
History of Bristol Rovers:
Founded in 1883, Bristol Rovers FC have experienced various successes and challenges over the years, from cup runs to ground moves. Rovers enjoyed their most fruitful period in the mid-20th century, including reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup in 1950 and securing various promotions.
The most significant of these successes came in 1952 when Rovers won the Third Division (South) title. In subsequent decades, Rovers fluctuated between different tiers of the football pyramid. The club moved to the Memorial Stadium in 1996, which has been its home since.
The club - whose supporters are known as ‘Gas Heads’ - climbed back up the Football League in the 2000s, but were disastrously relegated to non-league in 2014. However, this acted as nothing more than a reset and today the club sit in EFL League Two and have been managed by Steve Evans since 13 December 2025 following a 10 game losing streak that led to the sacking of Darrell Clarke and his assistant Jon Stead.